If You’ve Ever Wanted An “Evil Black Rifle,” Now Is The Time To Buy

Some basic AR-15s were running more than $1,500 during the post-Sandy Hook panic. Carbines with similar features can now be found for roughly half that price in many locations.

Business is a matter of supply and demand.

In recent years, the demand for the AR-15 modern sporting rifle has been at an all-time high, and manufacturers struggled to add multiple shifts and new equipment to meet that demand. It was a seller’s market.

That market has now suddenly dried up, leaving retailers distributors, and manufacturers with excess inventory. If you held off on buying an AR-15 or similar-style rifle during the market surge because prices seemed too high, you might want to consider looking again… deals are on the way.

About the time President Barack Obama took office, buyers flocked to the store in suburban Lilburn to stock up because of concern that federal lawmakers would tighten gun laws, a worry that only grew after the 2012 Connecticut school massacre. Now, with the political impetus waning for new restrictions, the rush for firearms is ebbing, too.

“Assault-rifle sales stopped in their tracks,” Jim Hornsby, owner of the suburban Atlanta store, said as muffled gunfire popped off from the attached shooting range. He estimated sales of the long guns are off 70 percent from last year. “It’s hard to give an AR away.”